1. What were the problems besetting the Church in the tenth and eleventh centuries? What was “moderate reform”?
In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Church fell into lay control. Lay control gave the King the power to elect the Pope, bishops, and clergyman of the church, even if the King himself wasn’t an active member of the Church. The problem with lay control was that the King didn’t always have the best intentions for the Church in mind, rather he elected clergy who held favorable political stances so that there would be no conflict between church and state.
Several Popes and church leaders tried to put an end to lay control, until Pope Gregory VII was finally successful in the late eleventh century. Before then, two reforms attempted to minimize lay control, moderate reform and radical reform. Moderate reform took place under Pope Leo IX in the mid eleventh century. Pope Leo issued a document called the Collection of 74 Tiles which focused on papal authority, and confirmed the powers of the papacy. He also demanded that the laymen choose “good men” as clerical candidates.
2. Describe the events that took place during the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV. What was at stake?
When Pope Gregory took office in office in 1073, one of the main issues he took a stance against was lay investiture. Lay investiture was similar to lay control (the government electing the Pope, bishops, and clergyman of the church) but with an added element: the bishops and abbots elected were bestowed with a scepter, ring, and staff. When Pope Gregory took issue with this unbiblical tradition, King Henry was ready to fight him about it. Pope Gregory held a council in 1075 and demanded that the church officials who had been invested in by laymen be deposed, and that the laymen who had been doing the investing be excommunicated. King Henry ignored the Pope’s command and went ahead and appointed church officials to many churches. Pope Gregory responded my excommunicating and deposing King Henry!
In 1077, King Henry begged on his hands and knees to Pope Gregory for his excommunication to be lifted, and it was. After his excommunication was lifted, instead of changing his ways, Henry sought the men who had wronged him and killed them. Disturbed by this, Pope Gregory excommunicated Henry once again, only this time the King overpowered Pope Gregory and forced him into exile in Rome.
This conflict between the church and state changed the position of the church forever. If it hadn’t been for Pope Gregory, the state would have continued it’s abuse of power over the church, and Christians wouldn’t have had the liberty to align themselves with the church.
3. What was Christendom?
Christendom was the worldwide society of Christians who worked together in assuring that each and every Christian church operated biblically with knowledgeable leaders.
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